Grandma Maurine’s Fried Fish

We have just returned from a trip to Minnesota, visiting my husband’s family.  July is a beautiful time to visit Minnesota, the temperatures are much cooler than here in the South and there is lots of outdoor fun to be had.  If you didn’t know, Minnesota is the land of 10,000 lakes, so fishing is a big deal.  Our girls’ Grandpa has been teaching them to fish since they were tiny, and they got lots of fishing in this visit.  

While the bigger fish like Bass, Walleye and Northerns are exciting and fun to catch, we are equally content to catch Sunnies and Bluegill.  Bluegill are especially rewarding because they are delicious to eat.  After catching a fair amount of fish, the reward is having delicious fried fish with my husband’s Grandma Maurine, Great Grandma to my girls. 

On this recent visit, while the girls were out on the lake with Grandma and Grandpa pulling in more Bluegill, I asked Grandma Maurine to share her recipe with me so I can share it with you. Her fish is famous throughout the family as well as the town.  They look forward to her contribution of fish at the Senior potlucks. 

I have a memory of attempting Grandma Maurine’s fish when we were first married and it did NOT go well.  At the time, I was not a very good cook and didn’t have the same equipment she uses.  I had a pack of frozen fish my mother-in-law had brought for us, and brand-spanking new non-stick pans.  They were so new, in fact, that they were still in the packaging.  I had removed the plastic wrap but did not realize there was a plastic divider separating the pans of different sizes.  This became apparent to me after the divider began to melt onto the stove.  Needless to say, I was disheartened and did not attempt it again.

Now that I am older and a little more experienced in the kitchen, I can admit it is not that difficult.  In fact, Grandma Maurine uses an electric skillet now, which makes it even easier.  

Grandma Maurine likes smaller Bluegill than some, because she thinks they taste better. They have had less time in the lake, sucking up any impurities, etc.  By the time she has cleaned and filleted them, they end up looking about the size of a large, delicious fish stick.

Grandma Maurine doesn’t usually cook fish just for herself, but she has mastered making it for a crowd. She employs a double skillet method. This allows her to cook more fish in a shorter time. She can lay fish out in one pan to fry, and move onto the next to fill. By the time the second skillet is filled, the first skillet of fish is ready to be flipped.

To prepare for cooking her fish, she melts Crisco Shortening in the skillets, just enough to cover the bottoms of the pans. Then she moves onto preparing the fish.

Dredging the fish is an easy process. Grandma Maurine starts with 3 beaten eggs in a bowl and a sleeve or two of crushed Saltine crackers. This amount is enough for about 10 servings of fried Bluegill. Depending on your fish, you may need more or less of each.

After dredging the fish fillets in egg and crushed crackers, Grandma Maurine sprinkles on her secret seasoning. It turns out her secret seasoning comes from a happy accident. While mixing seasonings, she accidentally combined Seasoned Salt and Chili Powder. Not being one to waste things, she used the mix anyway and discovered it was delicious on fish.

To make the “secret” seasoning, simply mix Seasoned Salt and Chili Powder 50/50. Place it in a bottle that has a sprinkle top. Grandma Maurine didn’t want too much seasoning to overpower the fish, so she placed a small piece of tape over some of the holes in her jar, to control how much comes out.

A note on Bluegill – I realize you may not have access to Bluegill from Minnesota, but any firm white fish will hold up to the same frying method – fresh water or salt water fish.

After the fish is ready for frying, the skillets are heated to 350º. Grandma Maurine places the fillets in one pan, filling it but not overlapping any fish. After one skillet is filled, she moves on to fill the next one.

Each fillet should only cook about 2-3 minutes in each side, so the fish stays moist and tender.

After the fillets are fried, she places them on a platter lined with paper towels, to absorb any excess shortening.

Grandma Maurine serves her fish hot with fresh lemon juice and tartar sauce, along with some of her other tasty treats like Deviled Eggs, Potato Salad and Green Bean Casserole. If there is any leftover, it can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Of course, no meal is complete without Grandma Maurine’s apple pie, which is she also famous for making. But that recipe will have to wait for our next visit.